Hawke's Bay Herald. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1879.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5303, 10 February 1879, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1879.

To-day tho ratepayers of Napier are required to elect three persons to be members of the new Harbor Board. Under the Harbors Act of last session the Napier Board is to consist of twelve members — three to be nominated or appointed by the Governor; two to be elected by the County Council of Hawke's Bay, two, by the Waipawa Council; one, by the Wairoa Council; three, by the ratepayers of Napier ; the Mayor of the Borough of Napier, who is to be a member by virtue of his office, completing the number. The election by the ratepayers is to bo held in the manner provided by the Regulation of Elections Act, the polling opening at 9 o'clock in the morning and closing at 6 o'clock in the evening. The number of votes that each ratepayer may give will be the same as at an election [if or a councillor of the borough. Six 'candidates have been nominated, of whom four were members of the late Harbor Board. We have no desire to influence the ratepayers in making their selection, either by lauding or decrying the qualifications of any of the candidates. They are all well known citizens, and of their suitability to become members of the board tho electors can judge well onough for themselves. We may say, however, that it seems to us that as all the candidates are or have been in favor of a breakwater, m & pr - o-

'fess themselves anxious for the improvement of the port, it becomos merely a matter of personal prefdrbneo which shall be the chosen uhroe. Tho ratepayers will have to ask themselves which of the I 'candidates havb shbwn the bnst business ! .aptitude, and are likely to further the ■interests of tho port in a way that shall bo beneficial to the community. There ! has been a good deal said about the little 1 that lias been accomplished by the harbor works. But we regard that as .mere electioneering capital; ,\V$ e"rit6rtairi no doubt whatever tnaib had it not been for the works that are being disparaged so I much tho port would havo boon of late , wholly inaccessible. Whether tho gain that has been secured is worth wlVal was paid for it is porhapa <3{3e"ri Id argument. For ourselve^ \fe consider that a gain of that kind) be it over so small, is worth "jils't as much as we can afford to pay. , There is no way that we know of for measuring the value of tho gain. But, at any rate, whether the works have been too costly 6r not, that is not a matter for which blame iis attachable to any member of the i board now deceased, seeing that— as is always the case — the works wore planned Under professional advice, and Avere carried out under professional supervision. . Wo say this, because we think that on this point the members of the old board i have not been quite fairly treated by the several correspondents who have favored us with anonymous communications for insertion in tho Hejiald. No doubt it is highly desirable that we should have a breakwater ; it is also desirable that we should be enabled to give accommodation to vessels of large tonnage ; but because we have not tho one, and cannot supply the latter, does not justify our picking out any one or more of the members of the old board for condemnation. As wo have already said, the ratepayers will havo to be guided by their opinions of the fitness of the several candidates, and we trust that in so guiding themselves they will dismiss from their minds all animadversions against any of the candidates — animadversions which are valueless because they are anonymous, and I which are put forward merely for olectionering purposes.